Reimagining schoolyards: how nature can be integrated into local schools

Local architecture studio Triptic worked with the World Bank to design possible reinterpretations of public schoolyards, offering 16 case studies for different types of schools from several areas of Romania. Business Review talked to the team behind the project to find out how a schoolyard can be environmentally friendly and benefit the whole community.

By Oana Vasiliu

Nature and sports, two key ingredients for children’s development

The modern concept of education sees it as a non-formal process that tends to promote social integrity and multicultural knowledge. Ideally, reconfiguration and the elaboration of new ideas would maintain a permanent correlation between the world in which we live today and the world of tomorrow, where climate change is a pressing subject. This is the case for architecture as well, especially when it comes to public spaces such as schools. To create a space where nature and environmental principles bring joy to children, the architecture studio looked at several education approaches, such as Montessori, which they later translated into design.

“Children who live in urban environments today spend less time in nature compared to previous generations. They also spend a lot of time at school, which is why green schoolyards can be one strategy for providing children with more access to nature and its benefits,” argues Aurel Basuc, co-founder of Triptic Studio.

Introducing nature spaces into schoolyards may not guarantee their use, but providing institutional support and professional development for teachers may help enhance children's awareness of how nature should and must be protected, as well as promote nature-based activities. The solutions offered by Triptic and the World Bank consist of playground areas with a low carbon impact, recycled materials, photovoltaic panels, smart lighting, and spaces to charge electric cars and scooters for teachers, visitors, and kids.

“The need for a systematic approach to education means moving into the current context and responding to the challenges involved in a child’s accumulation of futureready skills. Each playground space must have its own personality and be different from others, mixing sports with leisure activities and also using the schoolyard as a laboratory for observing nature,” Basuc adds.

The project consists of 16 case studies from public schools all over Romania, where the architects took several characteristics into account, including the shape of the school, its appearance, when it was last refurbished, and its location inside the community. They chose very different schools in order to diversify the case studies and the possible options for implementing the project. Moreover, the research underlined the importance of having an area designated to pre-schoolers, which should be equipped with specific gear and protective elements for small children, which currently do not exist. “Schools may be between the mountains or near the seaside, in open areas with strong winds or strong sun all year round, which means they must adapt to the environment and be properly equipped, with canopies or protective fences for rain, snow, sun, wind. Secondly, it is necessary to create an environment that will facilitate the development of playgrounds. Adapting to the phenomenon of global warming by maximising green spaces, introducing new types of vegetation of various sizes while keeping the geographical position in mind would be key elements in creating a proper schoolyard,” Basuc explains. Focus should also be placed on green spaces, with areas full of concrete that could be transformed into spaces with trees, which will provide shade and create an environment that is as natural as possible. “This idea has a positive impact both inside the school as well as for the whole community, turning the school yard into a small urban park, mostly because most public schools are located inside residential neighbourhoods, between large buildings, where there is little to no space for parks,” Aurel Basuc also notes.

Since the project was launched in 2020, the most active communities in terms of implementing parts of the green schoolyard concept have been from Cluj-Napoca and Bucharest’s District 6, but not a single fullscale project has been developed from scratch based on these recommendations so far.